On our last day in Dominica, we headed south again… all the way south this time. We returned to Roseau, where we visited the botanical gardens. This was on the wishlist of my travel companion, and we had run out of time to visit on Wednesday, our previous day in the south.
the capital, roseau
She enjoyed taking pictures of all the tropical plants. I assisted by scanning the plants with my plant-identifying app, Picture This, and providing the species names, since the plants were mostly unlabeled. She said, more expertly than I, that many of the plants would have been difficult to encounter elsewhere, making it a worthwhile venture for those so inclined.
We found the Old Town of Roseau generally unimpressive, with only a few buildings that even evoked a French Caribbean charm. For the most full-on bougie moment of the whole trip, we stopped for a drink at the Fort Young Hotel’s Palisades restaurant. It was by far the fanciest place we’d been the whole trip, and we enjoyed a lovely mojito by the water.
scott’s head
Scott’s Head lies at the southernmost tip of the island. It was there that we journeyed on our final afternoon to feel that we had experienced the island tip to tip. We stopped at a nice seafood shack called Chez Wen and soaked up the ocean views for one last day. I ordered cajun shrimp with garlic bread (an excellent choice, because I could dip the garlic bread in the sauce) and “banana salad” which was kind of like a potato salad with unripe bananas as the base.
At the final tip of the island lies the Cachacrou Peninsula, which hosts the remains of a British fort, used to defend the island from the French in the 18th century. The drive up was intimidatingly steep but the view was worth it. (Indeed, this is the quintessential postcard view of Dominica.) Even from above, we could tell how perfect the waters would be for snorkeling.
champagne reef
Speaking of, our last stop was Champagne Bay, one of Dominica’s top tourist sites. Snorkeling had been on our must-do list, but our day where nothing went as planned forced us to delay to the final day.
I’m a certified (though still fairly novice) scuba diver, so I’ve done by share of beach entries. They’re always harder than boat entries, especially with scuba gear, but even without this was a rough entry. The beach was rocky with a gradual drop off, but the flippers they gave you weren’t the kind that came with booties to assist with walking on rough terrain. The choices were walk in with flippers on, or struggle over the rocks barefoot, and there was no way to do either with anything resembling grace.
Aside from the rough entry, it was a spectacular snorkeling site. I will say that I found the site’s nominal draw—the “champagne” part of the reef, where underwater geothermal activity is supposed to make you feel like you’re swimming in a glass of champagne—a bit underwhelming. But it was a well-structured reef with lots of the same fish you’d see anywhere in the Caribbean. I also saw Caribbean Reef Squid, all lined up like they were in a regiment, which was new to me. Best of all, I saw a Hawksbill sea turtle, whom I watched for such a long time that he probably thought it was being stalked.
On our swim back, I floated along the edge of the reef, which dropped off dramatically into an azure abyss.
Driving, packing, and airport bustle aside—so ended our time in Dominica.